Taking third-person action and strategy to new heights, Commandos 2 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox is a great example of how to tackle the real-time strategy genre properly. Set over 10 missions in theatres of war across the globe, this is no place for gung-ho grunts. Care and thought are required in huge amounts before a shot is fired or the might of half the German army will descend and drill you full of holes--not a pleasant thought. From the word go this game is hard. Very hard. Rarely does it cut you any slack; one wrong move and it's game over. Initially this can be very irritating, but persevere and Commandos 2 is a real gem. The game's designers have thought of just about everything when it comes to running, crawling, tip-toeing and creeping past the enemy--there are around 100 very short tutorial missions designed to introduce the control system and the various vehicle, weapon and stealth techniques available to the player, and these alone will take a couple of hours to play through; skipping them is a really bad idea if you want the best from this title. In addition to wandering around on foot, a wide variety of vehicles can be commandeered and driven around (usually badly). Tanks can be used as offensive weapons, and boats are available for water-based missions. All of this Nazi-busting malarkey is brought to you by a squad of combatants including six commandos, each with their own special ability, a female member of the French Resistance, a dog and a rat (!), which makes for interesting gaming indeed. Its relatively slow pace will put many folks off, but stick with it you'll find that and Commandos 2 is one of the best RTS games to hit consoles to date. --Chris Russell